Easy pressure cooker bean soup with dry beans that is healthy and only requires a few ingredients. Like our Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup, make it with bacon or vegetarian. Perfect Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot meal during the winter and year round.
You don’t need to soak beans overnight like before, you just pop them in first to soften up, drain, and then add everything else to make things like this easy pressure cooker bean soup. It’s one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes when it’s chilly outside. (affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Soup with Dry Beans Recipe
I had dry Great Northern beans on hand and some bacon too so I literally dumped it in with some vegetables and broth and it came out delicious. A healthy bean soup too.
It is not only a flavorful dinner but really cheap to make too. Another one to add to my cheap recipes post. Add as many vegetables as you like. I just chose onions and celery this time but you could really load it up if you wanted. Make it a sort of minestrone style northern bean soup with lots of veggies.
If you have been scared of “that bag” at the store because you have never started from scratch, let us change your mind. With just some water or broth you can take legumes from rock hard to perfectly tender in about 30 minutes or so using high pressure.
If you don’t have this brand that is okay, Crockpot Express works the same. Make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe too using the lid that isn’t attached and the pressure cook button on that multi-cooker!!
How long does it take for beans to cook in a pressure cooker?
If you’ve never used northern beans they are quite mild and called white beans sometimes. You can take dried beans to tender in just 35 minutes with a 10 minute natural release! If you were really in a hurry you could use canned white beans too and skip this part.
Once I made it from scratch this way I was hooked and made a batch of homemade Instant Pot baked beans next which was really popular.
Can you make pressure cooker bean soup with canned beans?
Yes!! You will cut down the cook time a lot if you start with cans and just dump those in so you can skip the whole first step listed below. Of course a big part of the Instant Pot wonderment is that you can cook everything in one pot including the bacon! We eat soups all year long really. That’s why I put together this Instant Pot soup recipes post, but especially when it’s chilly outside!!
It is up to you to pre soak but not required. It will cut down the cook time but even with skipping that step it is the fastest way to cook dried beans period. Some swear by soaking because it cuts down on the gas they experience from eating legumes but is up to you.
I wouldn’t do it that way. Instead you will want to soak overnight and then cook to tender on stovetop submerged in water. For a faster way to cook dry beans use your electric pressure cooker!! NO soak is required to do it this way. In about half hour they will be soft, then make your soup from there.
Ingredients
- Northern beans is what we used, white is recommended
- Onions diced are nice
- Celery sliced we like as well
- Chicken broth gives more flavor than water
- Olive oil is best
- Carrots could be added too
- Salt could be added, I thought the broth had enough for us so I didn’t
- Red pepper is an option for a bit of spicy heat
Pop some rolls in the oven or make this pressure cooker cornbread and your meal is done! I have been trying to make healthy meals more often. Being able to use dry beans with no soaking beforehand has been a game changer. Jump to recipe and get started.
More easy pressure cooker soups you’ll love
- Instant Pot potato corn chowder is creamy but really delicious with diced russets
- Tasty Instant Pot lasagna soup we make often, same flavors you love but way easier to make
- Pressure cooker ham and beans adds leftover meat after the holidays
Pressure Cooker Bean Soup
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 c beans, dry, we used Northern beans
- 1 c onion, diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 strips bacon, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 green onions, diced
- 32 oz chicken broth
Instructions
- Put dry uncooked beans into Instant Pot or pressure cooker with 4 cups of water.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to bean setting for 35 minutes.
- Do a natural release (test beans to see if they’re tender enough for your liking, if not reset for another 10 minutes) drain beans, set aside.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute (or do on the stovetop if you have a traditional pressure cooker). Add olive oil, diced onion, and bacon.
- Cook until onions are softened and bacon is cooked to your liking (doesn’t need to be crispy, just cooked as it is pork).
- Turn Instant Pot off/cancel…important step.
- Add all other ingredients left, including beans you set aside, and gently stir.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to soup setting for 10 minutes.
- Quick release and serve…can top with grated parmesan cheese and/or chives.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used black eyed peas and sliced mushrooms, not bacon. Very good.
I was just trying out my own thing and had just threw the dry beans in with my sauted bacon, onion, carrots and celery, when I ran across this recipe, now I wonder how long it’s gonna take the beans to cook since I put the in, without softening them up first?
It says you could also use canned beans if in a hurry. What does this do to the final cook phase? I used canned beans and threw it all together adding some potatoes and ham, I didn’t have bacon, and I set it to cook for 35 minutes. Not sure if with canned beans how long I should cook.
So for canned beans you would skip the initial step of softening the beans and jump to the next which would be all other ingredients for 10 minutes.
I made this delicious recipe , and in the last few minutes of cooking the beans I threw in a few peeled and cut potatoes this was yummy . Thank you for your time and wonderful recipes .
This was tasteless. I ate a few bites and got right back up and put some spices in. A hefty dose of pepper, garlic powder, and paprika made a little more palatable. It was an easy recipe with ingredients I usually have on hand so I will likely make it again but I will be experimenting with spice.
Everyone likes different levels of salt and spices as I note in most of my recipes. Add them as you wish according to your desire.
This is the best Bean Soup recipe ever! This is the first time I have made soup with dried beans that my husband did complain that the beans were tough. Thank you SO much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad!
I added the extra water also and then realized my mistake. I dipped out the extra cups (that also had the chicken broth in it) to freeze and use in another recipe later. I think if you had listed the 4 cups water underneath the dried beans at the top (and not at the bottom) of the list of ingredients it would have been less confusing. Just a thought. It tasted very good and I will be making it again. Thank You for all your good recipes!
I’ve made this twice and love it. I am confused though about the amount of water. Is the 4 cups of water for when you first cook the beans or for that and when you add the rest of the ingredients? Thanks. Love your recipes.
Oh good!! Water is to cook the beans in the first step. Then use chicken broth as liquid in the final cook phase.
Thanks for the quick response. Both times I made it I used the 4 cups for the beans and then in the recipe as well as the chicken broth and it was great. Now I want to try it with just the chicken broth. Love trying your recipes for the instant pot!
I am a vegetarian.. so less becon, the recipe is perfect for me… However, is thtere anything else you would recommend in place of becon?
Never found anything vegan that takes the place of bacon’s flavor. Sorry.
@James McNulty,
1 -2 drops of smoke flavor might work
@James McNulty, You can buy Ham Broth flavoring powder. Works fantastic, but not too much. May become salty.
@Chhavi Jain, I’ve made this several times now and I change it up a bit. I’ve used vegetable broth and added kale with potatoes, sliced or chunky potatoes! I’ve added crushed red peppers and we like it with smoked paprika. Sometimes I add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste.
Oh good!!
Thank You for another great recipe. I can hardly wait to try it! I have so enjoyed my Instant Pot and your good recipes!